Copyright Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
Years of speaking only to the camera have blunted her sensory processing.
No one will contradict her, for few survive the witch’s tongue, fashioned over time into a weapon of mass destruction.
Submission has become an art form, a group norm instilled from day one on the team.
But someone didn’t get the email, or has chosen to ignore it.
“I think you’re wrong,” says her new co-presenter, “that’s hardly fair”.
It’s not so much what he says, but the fact he says it on camera where it cannot be unsaid.
And ding-dong…the witch is dying.
Pass the popcorn please.
Big day today for our American friends – hope all goes well. Thanks to Rochelle for her leadership of Friday Fictioneers. To see what we’re about, click on this link. To add your story, click on the froggie.
castelsarrasin 
I like the way you told this through the news anchor. A parable, perhaps, of something else
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Thanks for reading, Neil.
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This reminded me immediately of Thatcher, although in Scotland we spelled ‘witch’ with a ‘b’.
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Really? it reminded me of Kay Burley, Emily Maitliss and a host of other meejah ‘personalities’. I suppose as ever where you end up depends on where you started from.
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The witch has met her wizard. It would have been fun if she had stayed and they had some battles on air 🙂
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It would indeed. Nothing like a bit of onscreen antagonism to provide some entertainment.
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Great subtlety to this. Very nice.
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Many thanks for reading.
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Dear Sandra,
I can think of a few local and national American personalities who could be inserted into this story. I shan’t name them. 😉 Well done. May I have a sprinkle of cheese on my popcorn?
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You may have whatever you wish, Rochelle. Personally, I prefer salt but hey… 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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Loved this! Brilliant last two lines. 🙂
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Many thanks, Susan.
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It would be good to go back to the days when the politicians were the news and the journalists just asked the questions instead of being the story.
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Wouldn’t it just. When I look back to even four or five years ago, I remember having quite different opinions about some of the presenters/journalists on our screens. Who changed? Me or them?
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I think the world. I put a lot of it down to social media and do think it would be far better if journalists, especially BBC ones, did not have personal Twitter accounts.
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Hard to be objective in times like these, but there is a difference between Cronkite taking off his glasses when JFK was killed and Frank Reynolds freaking out when Reagan was shot. Of course now we have Hannity and that ilk, so there are no standards at all.
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I’m not familiar with those personalities, but we have our own range of ‘journalists’ and ‘presenters’ over here, not worthy of the title.
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For some reason it took me 2 readings to get this – might have more to do with the level of distractions here though. I like the simplicity of the co-presenter’s lines, and how easily the bubble bursts.
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How easily indeed. Thanks for reading Jen.
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All it takes is one person speaking truth to power at the right moment for dam to break. Great read as always, Sandra.
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Hopefully. Thanks, Dora.
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I’ll bet her shock was so great that she really did think a house fell on her 🙂
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An eye opener, hopefully. Thanks for reading, Linda.
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Love it! The symbolism of the “power” she has on screen was well thought out!
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Thanks Ashley. 🙂
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That kind of iron stranglehold never lasts. “She” reminds me of a certain “he” that just left da house. Excellent!
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Glory, fame, infamy… there’s a sell by date on all of them. Thanks for reading.
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You’re welcome.
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I like the way you use our familiarity with the Wizard of Oz to enhance your story about media folk.
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Thanks for reading, Penny.
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I’m not sure who this refers to, but I can think of a few! You made her very clear.
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I think it’s a pretty universal personality trait right now in the media. Thanks for reading, Eugenia.
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I love how the co-presenter was kept out of the know… how serendipitous to help her fall off her high horse!
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I never thought of it as a plot, but that would make it more interesting still. Thanks for reading, Dale.
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Every dog has their day. Karma.
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Some dogs’ days seem to last longer than others. Thanks for reading, Tannille.
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Very true.
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So true, once words are said it may be impossible to retract them.
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You never know how they can open the floodgates. The beauty of opinion. Thanks for reading.
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The Beeb could do with a few co-presenters like this one! It could just get me watching their current affairs programmes again.
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Wouldn’t it be great to be the one who had the courage to say it!
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i guess it’s the sign of the times egged on by social media.
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witch’s tongue, fashioned over time into a weapon of mass destruction. You been talking to my wife?
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Nice. To be honest, I don’t really watch broadcast news. From what I can recall and from what I’ve read in reputable print news, it seems that this can be true at times. For the life of me, I don’t understand people who are like “he/she seemed to know what they were talking about, so it is probably true.” I want to be like, but, that is not how facts work? I don’t get it!
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Ding Dong…it always amazes me how often witches lose their witchyness when people stand up to them. Of course, that usually only happens when an outsider stumbles onto the scene not knowing the witch’s history. I also might be a product of the Wizard of Oz generation who wears red shoes and chants “there’s no place like home.” 🙂 Wonderful read.
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Little did she realise how precarious her position of power was…
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I loved her tongue being turned into a weapon of mass destruction. People like that need to be knocked back to reality.
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